The Google Review Request Text Message: What to Say and When to Send It
By Clay Lawrence, Review Harvest · · 5 min video
The short version
Ask every customer for a Google review by text, and by email as well, at the moment they are happiest with the work. Keep the message short, make it personal, and follow up each day until they leave the review, because almost 40% of reviews come from follow-up messages. Then give someone the job of replying to reviews and reusing them on your website and social media.
Do this, in order
- 1
Text your customers, and email them too
Texting gets five times more reviews than emails. A review link at the bottom of an emailed invoice is not enough. Doing both does not hurt, but make sure the text goes out.
- 2
Keep the message short, clear and simple
The best performing message: "Hey [customer's first name], this is [owner name] from [business name]. Could you take a second to leave us a review? It only takes a few clicks and it'd help us out big time. Here's the link."
- 3
Add a personal touch
Send a photo of you, your team or your technician with the request, with the customer's name on it if you can. A selfie in their yard after the job works. Anything personal gets their attention.
- 4
Ask as close to peak excitement as possible
If you just fixed an overflowing toilet, ask right away. If you cleaned a home while the owner was at work, wait until they are back and have seen it.
- 5
Check every day and follow up with anyone who has not left a review
Almost 40% of reviews come from follow-up messages. Each day after the service, check whether the customer has left a review, and if not, follow up.
- 6
Send follow-ups later in the day
4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. are some of the best times to ask, because people are getting off work and checking their phones.
- 7
Make someone responsible for what happens after the review
Someone should respond to each review, put reviews on your website, and turn them into social media content for Facebook and Instagram.
Why does asking for reviews matter so much?
Reviews help you rank higher on Google and get chosen over competitors once people find you. In Whitespark’s local SEO research, four of the top 20 ranking factors have to do with reviews:
- a high numerical Google rating, at number six
- the quantity of native Google reviews with text, at number eight
- the recency of your reviews
- a sustained influx of reviews over time, not bursts
Recency deserves attention. You might have a hundred more reviews than a competitor, but if you did not get any this week and they did, they are ahead on that factor. Whitespark’s view is that review recency might be one of the top five ranking factors this year.
So the goal is a steady flow, which means a process you repeat for every customer. The five parts below come from helping over 350 businesses get over 50,000 Google reviews.
What should the review request say?
Keep it short, clear and simple. The best performing message is:
Hey [customer’s first name], this is [owner name] from [business name]. Could you take a second to leave us a review? It only takes a few clicks and it’d help us out big time. Here’s the link.
If your name is Sally and the customer is Clay: “Hey Clay, this is Sally from Sally’s Plumbing.” This message has brought in tens of thousands of reviews, and it won against many others in testing.
Send it by text. Texting gets five times more reviews than emails. A common setup is a review link at the bottom of the invoice that goes out by email, and that is why those businesses have seven reviews. Send the email as well if you like. It does not hurt to do both.
How do you make the request personal?
Add something that could only have come from you. Review Harvest sends a personalized image with every review request: a photo of you, your team or your technician, with the customer’s name on the image. It gets their attention and gives you the best chance of getting the review.
You can do a version of this by hand. Take a selfie in the customer’s yard after the job and send it with the request.
When should you ask?
Ask as close to peak excitement as you can.
- If someone called because their toilet was overflowing and the house smelled awful, ask as soon as it is cleaned up and fixed.
- If you cleaned someone’s home while they were at work, do not ask as you leave. Wait until they are home and have seen the clean house.
How often should you follow up?
Follow up every day until the review is in. Almost 40% of reviews come from follow-up messages.
Each day, check: has this person left a review yet? If not, follow up. People are happy to leave a review when you did a good job. They are just busy. They have to take a kid to soccer practice, load the dishwasher and mow the yard. Nobody is thinking about your review, so stay top of mind and make it easy.
Send follow-ups later in the day. 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. are some of the best times, because people are getting off work and checking their phones.
What does a complete review process look like?
Three jobs, each with an owner:
- You or someone on your team texts and emails every customer at their peak excitement moment, ideally with something personalized.
- Every day after the service, someone checks whether the review came in and follows up if it did not.
- Someone is responsible for responding to reviews, putting them on your website, and turning them into social media content for Facebook and Instagram.
Common questions
What should I say when I ask a customer for a Google review?
Keep it short, clear and simple: "Hey [first name], this is [your name] from [business name]. Could you take a second to leave us a review? It only takes a few clicks and it'd help us out big time. Here's the link." That message has brought in tens of thousands of reviews.
Is it better to ask for a Google review by text or by email?
Text. Texting gets five times more reviews than emails. Ideally you send both, since it does not hurt, but a review link at the bottom of an emailed invoice on its own will not get you many reviews.
When is the best time to ask for a Google review?
As close as possible to the customer's peak excitement. After an emergency fix, that is right away. If they were not home during the job, wait until they are back and have seen the work. Send follow-ups later in the day, around 4, 5 or 6 p.m., when people are off work and checking their phones.
How many times should I follow up on a review request?
Check each day after the service and follow up with anyone who has not left a review yet. Almost 40% of reviews come from follow-up messages. People who were happy with the job are willing to review you. They are busy, so you have to stay top of mind and make it easy.
Do recent Google reviews matter more than the total number?
Both matter. In Whitespark's local ranking research, a high Google rating ranks sixth and the quantity of Google reviews with text ranks eighth, and recency and a sustained flow of reviews over time, not bursts, are on the list too. A business with a hundred more reviews than you can still lose ground if it stopped getting new ones.
